Gail Marcotte sparkles and shines. It’s her energy, her positive attitude, her playful spirit. Originally from Brooklyn, she has a charming accent and a conversational rhythm that pops with enthusiasm.
She moved to Portland with her daughter in 2006, and since then she’s done a variety of volunteer work with Loaves and Fishes and Sisters of the Road.
“I’m a workaholic,” she said, “and I wanna do things for my community.”
Some days, you’ll find her picking up trash in her neighborhood or dumpster diving for items of clothing to give to those less fortunate. She leaves these “used but usable” clothes on the doorsteps of the church across the street from her apartment.
“I can go to sleep knowing someone else is warm,” she said.
Her daughter sometimes asks her if she’s afraid of being on the streets.
“If you’re afraid, you’ll never get anywhere,” Gail said. “You’ll find that homeless people are the nicest people. And it’s in me! I want to do good!”
Gail has been working with Street Roots since 2016. Her original sales post was outside Great Harvest Bread Company at Southwest Yamhill Street and Second Avenue in downtown Portland.
She calls her customers her “friends” and feels grateful for their support. It’s the many ways they take a personal interest in her that mean so much. One customer inquired about her birthday and gave her a card with ten dollars. Another learned that Gail was a lover of turtles and gave her a jewelry box decorated with turtles.
“She took an interest in me,” Gail said. “I treasure her, and I’ll always treasure that box.”
Once a man put a $100 bill in her hand and walked away without taking a paper.
“It felt strange and wonderful,” she said.
During Covid, Great Harvest Bread Co. closed, so Gail moved her post to her current location in front of the Multnomah County Central Library on Southwest Tenth Avenue and Taylor Street. She takes pride in her sales position and her product.
“I tell my customers that Street Roots is a prize-winning paper, an excellent Portland resource,” she said. “It’s so important how you come across. And even if it’s a ‘no,’ I always say ‘Thank you, have a great day and please be safe.’”
It’s not surprising that one of Gail’s favorite things about working with Street Roots is working with people.
“The people at Street Roots are the dearest. They’re the nicest people I’ve known. They give you so much kindness and resources.”
Along with selling papers, Gail likes to work the coffee station in the Street Roots office and often donates sugar and cream.
“I look forward to being at Street Roots,” she said. “When I wake up every day, the first thought I have is ‘I wanna go to Street Roots. I wanna sell Street Roots.'”
Gail wants her customers to know how grateful she is for their kindness and support. They’ll say things to her that fill her with confidence and joy, things like “Thanks so much for being here,” or “Please don’t quit.”
“It’s such a good feeling,” she said. “When they ask ‘are you gonna be here tomorrow?’ I say ‘oh yeah, you bet I will.'”
You can brighten your day by stopping by Gail’s post in front of the library at 801 SW 10th Ave, where lately, she’s been selling in the evenings after 6:00 p.m. Contribute to Gail through @StreetRoots Venmo. Just leave her name and badge number (240) in the “what’s it for” section of the payment.